xXx 2 : The Next Level (State of the Union)

xXx2: THE MEANER, THE BETTER
by Reymundo Salao
Just Another Film Junkie

The first "xXx" movie may have been sort of a "big joke" because it was too campy, too much of an eye candy. But a line in the sequel entitled "xXx2 (The Next Level")" (also released in the US with the title "xXx2: State of the Union" which, to my opinion is a better title) that had the character played by Samuel Jackson say "The new xXx (agent) has got to be more than just some surfer, he's got to be better and more dangerous" And I do agree with that statement, the new xXx movie is indeed better than the first one. I may also have liked the idea of Vin Diesel coming back for this sequel, but casting Ice Cube as the new action agent met up to the "astig" factor of what the xXx franchise seems to stand for. In fact, Ice Cube just juiced it up several notches up from being just "better".

In a way of seeing it, xXx is the American counterpart of James Bond, only with a little more edge, a little more rock n' roll, and a little more American-type-of rugged factor. In the first movie, a secret government espionage agency spearheaded by Augustus Gibbons (played by Samuel Jackson) has recruited a secret agent, not chosen from military ranks, but ones off a civilian list of thugs, ex-cons, and adventurers. That agent was the first "xXx agent", and his mission was successful. On this second movie, a new enemy has risen, a military splinter group that is conspiring to overthrow the U.S. Government. This has led Gibbons to employ the services of an ex-soldier named Darius Stone, now code-named as the new xXx (agent), to track down these conspirators and stop them from overthrowing the government.



One thing I like about this movie is that it proves that an action hero should not necessarily be somebody with a standard action hero physique with the lean figure and silly abs for a Rambo pose. Ice Cube is the hero here, somebody who, not only looks a bit too short for a standard Rambo, but also is a bit chubby. It is probably his screen presence and aura that has made him fit for the cool, bad-ass action hero title. His ugly facial expression when he's upset, is pure hard-edged action hero in itself. Ice Cube was formerly a rapper from way back in the days when rap music was still cool, when rap music had a little more meaning and angst. Ice Cube was one of those rappers associated with early 90's "Gangsta Rap". And when he went into the transition of being an actor, his "angry nigger" personality fit in with Hollywood. But he later proved to be a very flexible actor when he began to appear in numerous films where he excelled in other varied roles such as in films like "Barbershop" and "All About the Benjamins" where he was able to show his sense of humor. But on xXx2, he is superb as the action lead. Samuel Jackson has a bigger role this time, as he gets to go around and shoot at the bad guys. Then there's the villain played by Willem Dafoe, who to my opinion, seems to have become too stereotyped already, but still gets the job done.

The film is directed by Lee Tamahori who also directed "Mulholland Falls", "The Edge", and the last James Bond movie "Die Another Day", which really helps with the idea that he is indeed fit as director of this project and that it would surely interest those who haven't watched it yet, that what they got from that last Bond movie is not so far from the kind of action thrill-ride you will get out of xXx2. Some critics may dismiss xXx2 as a film that is filled with clichés. But in this day and age, everything seems to be a cliché already. It would be dumb to take this film too seriously, for this is within the genre of action eye-candy, and under the classification of something I would call as "spy-fiction" (Spy movies like the James Bond movies and MI:2. They may be far-fetched, and may be far from what is considered a serious espionage movie, but still are undeniably entertaining.). What is important is the kind of satisfaction you will get out of xXx2, that "xXx2 The Next Level" is very much Explosively Fun! Its screening schedules at Robinsons Movieworld are the following: 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM

SCREENING SCHEDULES THIS WEEK (04-27-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD

xXx2: The Next Level
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
The Pacifier
11 AM, 1 PM, 3, 5, 7, 9 PM
Miss Congeniality 2
11 AM, 1 PM, 3, 5, 7, 9 PM
Hide & Seek
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
12 PM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Ring 2 (Samara)
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM

SM CITY CINEMA

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
11:30 AM, 1:05 PM, 2:40, 4:15, 5:50, 7:25, 9:00 PM
Can This Be Love
11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM
The Pacifier
12:15 PM, 2:00, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9:00 PM
Hide & Seek
11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM
XXX: The Next Level
11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM
Finding Neverland
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM, 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9:00 PM

The Ring 2 "Samara"

THE RING 2 : Better & More Original
By Reymundo Salao
Just Another Film Junkie

What I loved about "Samara: The Ring 2" is that it does not allow itself to be reliant anymore to visual eye candy in order to generate a haunting horrific atmosphere. It clearly can create an eerie feeling with just its storyline. It also does not rely on the used concept of "the video tape that kills" and creates a more original source of terror, reminiscent of "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Omen". "The Ring 2" is way better than the first (US) movie.

Being a fanatic of the original Japanese horror film "Ring" (or "Ringu"), it took me a while (like more than a year) to fully accept and swallow the existence of the American adaptation of this timeless horror classic. The US version entitled "The Ring" which was directed by Gore Verbinski, and starred Naomi Watts and David Dorfman, was a gigantic success in the US, but what it really was, was just a sad replication of the Japanese original, a bad adaptation even, seemingly attempting to claim the credits of the story's concept (because I felt that the filmmakers and producers lacked in giving regard to the film being an adaptation of the film by Hideo Nakata and the novel written by Koji Suzuki) It is as if they stole something from the Japanese and pretend to own that thing which they stole. But when I found out that they were going to hire the director of the original "Ringu" Hideo Nakata to direct the sequel entitled "Samara: Ring 2", I immediately had high hopes for it sequel.

In my research, I stumbled across interviews of how producer Walter F. Parkes, director Hideo Nakata and actress Naomi Watts tell the synopsis of the movie from their own point of view. Nakata offers, "'The Ring' ends with Rachel making a copy of the videotape to keep her son safe. But that means that she has spread Samara's curse out in the world, so the curse does not end with the first movie. Now it's two years later and Rachel has taken her son and moved to the small, pretty town of Astoria in Oregon. It looks peaceful-very quiet, very calm-but of course, it's not peaceful." Naomi Watts comments, "Clearly Seattle was not the right place for Rachel anymore, so she's moved to a place that feels more remote. She's obviously changed on every level, living with this secret and this enormous guilt. What has she done? How much destruction has she caused? So she's become a very isolated person and also incredibly protective. When it all started, it was easy for people to say she was not the best mother. She was a little self-obsessed and career oriented, but now it's about holding onto her child. The irony of the whole thing is that this bad mother has turned into the kind of mother Samara is in desperate need of."

"In fact, she is overprotective when we first see her with Aidan in this film," adds Parkes. "She knows she is responsible for the evil thing she let out there, and the movie starts with it coming back to her in a terrible way. This time, as opposed to running away from it or pushing it onto someone else, she has to face the horror of Samara head-on herself." Watts agrees, "Of course she knows she is the only one who can handle it, because she knows what has erupted and how it has erupted in a way no one else would understand. She's been going through a private hell, and it's all about to unravel."

"Naomi's performance in this movie is very rich in emotions," Nakata says. "As the heroine, throughout the movie, she needed to express fear and anxiety and at the same time be strong to face this evil character, and I think she did it perfectly. She was extremely focused and was very good at expressing the realistic emotions of a mother who has to face very unreal things to protect her son."



Indeed, Watts' acting in this film is more diverse. In the first movie, her character is monotonously under constant fear and paranoia. But on this sequel, she is stronger, trying hard to fight back the evil trying to consume her child. But the real superstar on this film is David Dorfman who plays Aidan, Rachel's (Naomi Watts) son, which is a role that is indeed perfect for him. He may seem like a creepy kid, kind of like how I would personally imagine John Malkovitch as a child, he's got these expressive eyes that enable him to act in heavy degree of emotions with the slightest effort. I could even say he could outdo that kid from "Sixth Sense" and would have done a more perfect job for that role.

This sequel is obviously not a repeat of the first film. There is a primary difference between the two films. According to the producers "The first 'Ring' was told in images. The tape was not only the scary thing that threatened to kill you, but also held the visual clues for Rachel to unravel the mystery. It gave us a very obvious map and you literally followed those images through the movie. The story here is more grounded in emotion and has deeper character issues. I think it feels connected to the first, but expands on those aspects." The storyline of the "The Ring 2" is more original, apart from the first movie, and apart from the Japanese Ringu movies as well. One issue and underlying theme about Ring 2 is how the protagonist Rachel would stand her ground as a mother. In the storyline, she has to be as protective and as loving as any mother should instinctively do, she also has to explore the issues why Samara has become what she is: a dark vengeful phantom of death, and discover that it also has something to do with Samara's relationship with her mother. If I could just let myself be a bit more bizarre, I would say that this movie is kind of a well-fit, twisted "Mother's Day Special" movie.

In the long run, I was glad that there is a twist in the saga of the Ring. Something refreshing and original, "Ring 2" gives satisfaction to those who hated the first American-version "The Ring" movie. "The Ring 2" is a film worth watching especially for the fans of the original "Ringu"

The screening schedule of THE RING 2 at Robinson's Movieworld is 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM

SCREENING SCHEDULES THIS WEEK (03-20-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Boogeyman
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Ring 2 (SAMARA)
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
The Pacifier
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Closer
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM
Alone in the Dark
12:00 PM, 1:48 PM, 3:36, 5:24, 7:12, 9:00 PM

SM CITY CINEMA

Shaolin vs. Evil Dead
12:15 PM, 2:00, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9:00 PM
Be Cool
12:00 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM
The Pacifier
12:15 PM, 2:00, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9:00 PM
Boogeyman
12:15 PM, 2:00, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9:00 PM
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
12:00 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM
Ring 2 (Samara)
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9:00 PM

CLOSER

CLOSER: INTIMATELY BRILLIANT
By Reymundo Salao
Just Another Film Junkie

CLOSER is the movie about adult relationships, lies and infidelity. This is a love story about four people whose paths are crossed with each other. Dan (Jude Law) is a writer whose fondness for deceitful romance is matched by his charm, Alice (Natalie Portman) is a stripper whose love is pure, Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer who cant clearly see who she really loves, and Larry (Clive Owen) is a doctor whose love is honest, but tends to be clouded by perversion. It is a love story, set in London, England, that gets complicatedly tied up when Dan plans to abandon his current girlfriend Alice, to start a relationship with Anna who is the girlfriend of Larry.

The film is a four-person drama that centers on four performers whose acting is superbly moving, and very human. Each of the characters has their own sympathetic charm, and equally, a flaw as well, to a point that you cannot pick one protagonist, but left with the conclusion that this is a film in which all four characters are the main characters. Alice (Natalie Portman) may be a stripper, whose one scene is very electrifying, from a male point-of-view, that is, but her character is the most human, most honest, and most pure. She has an "un-innocent" profession; yet, she is the character of pure innocence, not infected by the malice and deceit that surrounds her. Ironic and interesting. Natalie Portman's childlike but very emotional acting is truly touching She is the main character for which audiences would easily sympathize with. The story begins and ends with her. Dan is charming and impressively daring. But he has deceit written all over him. The film begins as if he's the central character, but his being a main character is highlighted by where his reckless attitude towards love would eventually take him. Jude Law perfectly fits the role, balancing his gigolo-type persona with his immature melancholia. Julia Roberts who usually plays the good girl does differently in this film, Anna, being the one who also has her own sense of betrayal, oftentimes unsure of herself, she fumbles upon one relationship to the other, maybe unintentionally at times, but she manages to be a good liar. Larry is kind of a naughty chap, but he is deep inside, just a man in love and merely wants his love back, Clive Owen plays this role convincingly. Owen may be the actor rumored to be the next James Bond, but on this film, he is purely human; vulnerable, emotional, even awkward.

The editing of the film involves time jumps from one timeline, fast-forwarding to another, for instance, one scene portrays how Dan meets Alice, and then it cuts to a scene where months have passed that the two are already in a relationship. This would do away with unnecessary scenes and goes direct to the main drama-storyline. Not to worry, because the editing is clean and clear, and doesn't leave the audience perplexed. The movie is not all too serious either, for there are numerous scenes where the humor packs large punches. It's other side of humor is its witty dialogue that, at times, may not necessarily be funny, but unforgettable.

The dialogues are remarkably well written; the screenwriter deserves a standing ovation, along with the rest of its cast and crew. Patrick Marber wrote the play and adapted "Closer" as a screenplay and is directed by Mike Nichols who also is the director of films such as The Birdcage, The Graduate, and the highly-acclaimed television mini-series "Angels In America".

The film is definitely for adults only, though there may be no total nudity and sexual scenes, the storyline is heavy on dialogues about sexuality. It is a very intelligent film. A real treat for those who have ever been in love, and have also experienced the betrayals of love. CLOSER is romantically and intellectually stimulating. And ranks high on anybody's top five favorite serious romantic drama movie of all time. The screening schedule of CLOSER at Robinson's Movieworld is 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM

Check out the screening schedules of all the other films shown in Iloilo City on my website www.justanotherfilmjunkie.blogspot.com The screening schedules are updated regularly and diligently (Although schedules are subject to change without prior notice, of course).

Also showing this week on Robinson's Movieworld is the film adaptation of the popular horror video game ALONE IN THE DARK, the slick mob caper CONFIDENCE, the ultra cool, hip sequel (also adaptation of a book sequel as well) of the film "Get Shorty": BE COOL, The action drama HOSTAGE on extended run, and the pioneers of Shaolin Kung-Fu movies, Gordon Liu in the film SHAOLIN VS EVIL DEAD. It's a great week of outstanding films, all showing at Robinson's Movieworld.

SCREENING SCHEDULES THIS WEEK (03-13-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD

Alone In The Dark
11:15 AM, 1:45 PM, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 PM
BE COOL
11:15 AM, 1:45 PM, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 PM
Confidence
11:15 AM, 1:45 PM, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 PM
CLOSER
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Hostage
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Shaolin vs Evil Dead
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM


SM CITY CINEMA

Confidence
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9:00 PM
BE COOL
12:00 PM, 2:15 PM, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM
Shaolin vs Evil Dead
12:15 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9:00 PM
Hostage
12:00 PM, 2:15 PM, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM
CLOSER
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM, 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9:00 PM
Alone In The Dark
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM, 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9:00 PM

Hostage

HOSTAGE
By Reymundo Salao
Just Another Film Junkie

HOSTAGE would seem to be a desperate attempt to revive Bruce Willis’ image as an action hero, but what the film was, turned out to be more than just another usual action flick, for it proved to be a very interesting suspense-mystery. From the outset of the three-sentence synopsis, one cannot easily assume what the film is all about. The movie is about a mansion seized by armed intruders. If the intruders were terrorists armed with high-powered firearms and thick foreign accents, you have the stereotype action flick; you have a Jerry Bruckheimer flick. But HOSTAGE strays from that formula. The intruders here are three juvenile offenders. Kids who may be clumsy or may be too young to clearly comprehend the consequences of what they’re doing. On this day and age, such an occurrence is not outrageous fiction anymore especially when you take into consideration the juvenile violence associated with incidents, like the Columbine School Shootout in the US, and the numerous cases of juvenile frat wars in Metro Manila and even here in our city as well. As the juvenile intruders have taken siege of the mansion of a local rich guy, Walter Smith (played by Kevin Pollak), his daughter Jennifer (Michelle Horn) and son Tommy (Jimmy Bennett), the hostage drama thickens when we discover that very powerful, shady people have vested interest upon whatever happens to the hostages, and can easily kill anybody who stands in their way. Local Police Chief Jeff Talley (played by Bruce Willis) is summoned by circumstance to face the crisis. But will he get to solve the crisis in time? Or can the situation get worse as it is?

(The following may contain film spoilers)
This is a hostage drama, which is far more complicated since the hostage-takers are kids: clumsy, emotional, impulsive, and very immature, especially under extreme pressure. Also adding to the thrill of the film is that the mansion where the incident is set, is very much equipped with high-tech security machinations, hidden cameras and secret escape vents, which all add to the kind of suspense reminiscent of the films “Diehard” and “Panic Room”. Keen film nerds like me would also be reminded of how the 9-year-old character of the film Tommy Smith (played by Jimmy Bennet) who would play “hide-and-tiptoe” with the villains, crawling in and out of narrow shafts, remind us of Bruce Willis in “Diehard”. While on Diehard, the character John McClane would communicate to the Los Angeles cop outside the seized building, on this film, the 9-year-old character would communicate with Police Chief Jeff Talley outside the mansion. The mirror between the two Willis films amused me very much. Although the film is very much, an adult action movie, the 9-year old character seems to be the main action hero of the film. His character is like a young, helpless version of Macgyver, as he desperately rats out in dangerous circumstances of the film. Also worth the mentioning is the childish sibling drama between juvenile hostage-takers Dennis Kelly (played by Jonathan Tucker) and Kevin Kelly (played by Marshall Allman). Their childish conflict with each other is as realistic as it can be, up until the tragic end when you get to realize how important the interaction between the two characters were, in earlier scenes. Then there’s the third juvenile hostage-taker Mars Krupcheck (played by Ben Foster) who was a grittingly cool villain that reminds many of the Crow, and Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor. He is sadistic as he is bizarre. His demented personality makes him a memorable villain. The online forums over the IMDB website even wished there was an alternate ending wherein he somehow survived the violent ending.

Although a prominent actor with films like “The Usual Suspects” up his credit, Kevin Pollak’s role seems minor on this film, nevertheless, it was nice to see him on this film. Bruce Willis, on the other hand, may have strayed from his cliché of action heroes for this film, because this film has an atmosphere very close to the suspense action TV series “24”, hard on the cliffhanger drama rather than the physical action. And Willis does one of his rare opportunities to indeed do some serious acting. His character on this film is well developed and very human. The kind that does take violence and death seriously, rather than the cliché action heroes that seem desensitized by the sight of death.

The film’s slight failure was that it failed to give a tight, satisfying end. In many other mystery movies, there are details that need no clear answer, and the fact that it is not given a clear answer, adds to the enigmatic beauty of such movie. But on this film, the unanswered questions revolving the subject of mystery destroys the entire build-up of the film. The audience is made to hold their breath so that they could open some kind of box that reveals all the answers in the end, yet, the end really doesn’t reveal anything. This is one mystery film that deprives itself of being thumbs-up movie by not giving up the hidden details. Sure there is closure in the end of the movie, but there is no impact whatsoever by disregarding the rest of what the audience are craving to find out. Nevertheless, HOSTAGE is entertaining in satisfactory proportions.

HOSTAGE is one of those films that may not bask in the limelight of box-office figures, but will indeed give moviegoers a good time. A film for those who love action films with a good sense of drama and suspense.

Check out the screening schedules of all the other films shown in Iloilo City on my website www.justanotherfilmjunkie.blogspot.com The screening schedules are updated regularly and diligently (Although schedules are subject to change without prior notice, of course).

Also showing this week on Robinson’s Movieworld is the new Robin Williams film FINAL CUT, which is an interestingly bizarre science fiction set in the future wherein microchips implanted in your brain record everything you see and hear. Then when you die, a "cutter" assembles the footage into a memorial video for your funeral, editing out all of the unpleasantness.

SCREENING SCHEDULES THIS WEEK (04-06-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD

Hostage
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Final Cut
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Cursed
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 PM
Hitch
11:15 AM, 1:45 PM, 4:15, 6:45, 9 PM
Bahay Ni Lola 2
12 PM, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 PM
Million Dollar Baby
12 PM, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9 PM

SM City Cinema

Hitch
12:00PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM
Son of the Mask
11:45 AM, 1:30PM, 3:15, 5:00, 6:45, 8:30 PM
Bahay Ni Lola 2
11:45 AM, 1:30PM, 3:15, 5:00, 6:45, 8:30PM
Hostage
12:00 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9:00 PM
Final Cut
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM, 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9:00 PM
Cursed
11:45 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:15, 5:00, 6:45, 8:30 PM